Line-casting machine



March 7, 1939. A. c. MCGRATH 2,149,305

LINE-CASTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13, 1956 3 SheetS-Sheet 1 March 7, y1939.

A. c. MCGRATH 2,149,305 LINE-CASTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 15, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 [n1/en for friki/r C. MfG/dife y A. c. MCGRATH 2,149,305

March 7, 1939.

` LINE-CASTING MACHINEA Filed Jan. 1s, 195e v As sheets-sheet s )Fig 6 Patented Mar. A7, 1939 y UNITED STATES PATENT erster.

LINE-CASTING MACHINE Arthur C. McGrath, Chicago, Ill., assigner of oneyhalf to Melville Keim, Maple Lane, Highland Park, Ill.

Application January 13, 1936, Serial No. 58,961

2 Claims. (Cl. 22-2) This invention relates to a line-casting mathe vertically extending arm 9 which is slidably chine and constitutes an improvement upon my mounted on the frame I and is raised and 1owpatent, No. 1,314,006, which issued August 26, cred by the lever l0, pivoted at II, and raised l1919. into elevated position by means of a cam I2 v l An object of the invention is to provide means operating upon a roller I3. s

supported by the vise-jaw of the machine for The main frame I of the machine supports casting stereotypes directly from the line-casting near the top portion of the machine a vise-jaw machine. A further object is to provide removstructure I4 equipped with a pair of spaced jaws A able casting boxes which may be readily secured 5! and 5I, shown more clearly in Figures 6 and '7 in position to receive metal from the nozzle of of the drawings. Also slidably mounted within 1o the metal pot, the box being provided with means frame I is a vertical spacer-lifter rod I5 of the foraligning the opening of the box with tlie nozusual construction. The rod supports at its top zle and the mold. A further object is to provide a head I6. means for maintaining the box at a proper tem- My improved casting-box, which is shown in l5 perature and at a substantially uniform temdetail in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, is designated by the l5 perature. Other speciiic objects and advantages numeral ll. As shown more clearly in Fig. 1, will appear as the specification proceeds. the box Il is received within the space between y'I'he invention is illustrated in preferred emthe vise-jaw and the mold-block 2 and, when bodimentsv by the accompanying drawings, in the head i6 of rod I5 is in raised position, it whichabuts the lower edge of box Il. The box I 'l is 20 Figure l is a vertical section through the mold provided near its top with a laterally extending disk and adjacent parts of a Linotype or line-castflange i8 which engages the top wall of the viseing machine, showing the mold in position to jaw I6. The purpose of the flange I8 is to encooperate with my stereotype mold; Fig. 2, a gage a stop-button, (not shown), the function broken perspective front View of my removable of which'is well-known in this type of machine. 25 casting box, Vthe front plate having been re- While the casting-box is shown supported as moved; Fig. 3, a perspective View of the front a unit on the vise-jaw, one part of the box, if plate of the casting box; Fig. 1, a transverse secdesired, may be secured to the matrix-support 6 tional View of the casting box with the front so as to be raised by the elevator. In such a plate thereof in position; Fig. 5, a modiiied form construction, I prefer to have the portion of the of the front plate, in which the front plate is box which is secured to the support 6 carry the provided with a heating element; Fig. 6, a broken resistance element and remain at rest in the viseelevational View showing the casting box in posijaw. tion in the vise-jaw structure, and Fig?, abroken My improved box Il, as shown more clearly .a3 plan view of the casting boxin position in the in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, consists of a rear-casing por 35 vise-jaw structure the view being taken as intion or block I9 and a front casing portion or dicated at line 'l-i of Fig. 6. plate 2U. The casing I9 provides a hollow com- In the embodiment of the invention illustrated partment receiving a pair of insulation sheets in Figs. 1 4, inclusive, the line-casting machine PEI between which are wound electric resistance .i0 illustrated is of the usual construction, and I wires 22. The wires 22, as shown more clearly 40 have only shown so much of the machine as is in Fig. 2, pass through the insulated case of a necessary to understand the application of my thermostat 23, and the current passing through invention. the wires 22 is controlled by the thermostat. The In the drawings, the machine is provided, as thermostat construction, being well-known, will r usual,v with the Slotted mold 2, in which the Linonot be described in detail. It is suicient to state 45 type slugs or the like, as` a. rule, are cast. This that the thermostat breaks the circuit when the mold is carried by the rotatable mold-carrying' temperature exceeds 400 or 450 F. It will be disk 3, which, when the casting operation takes understood that the thermostat may be set to place, brings the mold 2 into position opposite break the circuit at lower temperatures, if dethe nozzle 4 of the metal pot 5. The matrix supsired. The thermostat, by interrupting the our- 50 port 6 of the machine is of the usual construcrent at certain temperatures and closing the cirtion, ybeing provided with a transversely extendcuit when the temperatures drop, thus maintains ing slot l in which the usual matrices are adapt a fairly uniform temperature. The casing I9 edto iit. The matrix-holder 6 is mounted on the provides near its top rear side a chamber 24 in Vtransversely extending arm 8 ofthe elevator, which the thermostat element 23 is housed. 55

Above the box-casing I 9 is supported a hollow metal conduit 25 through which the wires 35 leading to the heating element 22 are housed. The housing 25 prevents injury to the wires 35 when the housing is engaged by the depending matrix-holder 6, as shown more clearly in Fig. 1. The heating chamber is closed on its front side by a removable plate 28. As shown more clearly in Fig. 2, I prefer to provide the casing I9 with laterally extending locking lugs 2l.

Secured to the bottom of casing i9 is a forwardly extending platform 28 having an upturned terminal flange 29.

The front plate 2li has a lower portion adapted to be received within the space provided by the platform 25 and the edge 29. Preferably the ront plate is recessed on its rear side to provide a chamber 3Q between the front plate and the closure plate 2t of the rear casing member I9. The upper portion of plate 20 is provided with a transverse slot 3i through which the metal passes to the interior of chamber S0. Toward the bottom portion of plate 2@ is formed a rearwardly rib 32 which is adapted to engage the lower edge of the mold-block 2 and thus maintain the slot 3| in alignment with the nozzle i and the aperture in the mold 2. Integrally :formed with the front plate if!! are rearwardly and laterally extending lugs 33 which are brought into alignment above and on lugs 2l. The lugs 2l', resting securely on a portion 52 of the vise-jaw lil, and the lugs 33 lying on top of the lugs 2l, hold the plate 2S in such a position that the lug 32 is in position to engage thelower portion of the mold 2 as the machine performs its usual function.

Operation In the operation of the device, the front plate 20 is placed in position against the plate 25 of casing i9, the lower portion of the plate 2li being received behind the flange 29, as shown more clearly in Fig` 4. The laterally extending lugs 21 and are thus brought into alignment. The casting-box may then be inserted within the space between the vise-jaw l@ and the jaws carried by the vise-jaw, as shown more clearly in Fig. l. In this position, the laterally extending lugs 33 and 2l extend behind and interlock with the spaced jaws 5@ and 5l of the vise-jaw id. Also the laterally extending lugs 27 rest upon portions 52 of the jaws. t the same time, the flange I8 rests against the top wall of vise-jaw la. When the box is first inserted, the mold-disk wheel 3 is in retracted position and when it is moved forward, as in the usual operation of the machine, the ange. 32 of the front plate 2i) extends below the lower edge of the mold-block 2, thus aligning the metal inlet 3i with the passage through moldblcck E communicating with nozzle fi. To insure perfect alignment, the head l5 as it is raised by the spacer-lifter l5, engages the bottom of box il so as to press the rib 32 tightly against the bottom edge of mold-block 2.

At the time the casting box il is placed in position, the current is turned on and the electric heating element within the box rapidly brings the temperature of the box up to the desired temperature for the metal used. The temperature should be suficiently high to cause the metal to now evenly over the stereotype mat which is, of course, held within chamber 3i) of the casting-box, At the same time the temperature of the box should be suiiiciently low to cause the metal to harden after it has covered the front surface of the mat. I have found temperatures between 400 and 45C!L7 F. suitable, although lower temperatures may be satisfactory. The thermostat is so set as to break the current and prevent a temperature rise above the selected temperature.

Metal is then forced from the metal pot 5 through nozzle ii, the aligned opening in block 2 and into the interior of chamber 39 so as to fill the chamber in front of the mat and to ow freely over the face of the mat. The heated box causes the metal to iiow readily into the corners and interstices of the mat surface and to reproduce the surface accurately as the metal hardens.

After the cast has hardened, the mold-carrying disk 3 recedes to its normal position and at the same time the elevator arm 9 is automatically raised to its normal position. As in the wellknown operation of the machine, the disk 3 rotates and the slug within the metal passage in mold 2 is ejected. The casting-box may then be opened and the casting removed. By supporting the casting-box within the vise-jaw, it is easy to provide electrical connections with the box because of the absence of movement of the box when thus located.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Fig, 5, the front plate 2da is provided with a heating chamber engaging heating elements 22a between insulation strips 2id. The compartment is closed on the rear side by a closure plate The plate Eea is, in other respects, identical with plate Eil, being provided with similar locking lugs 33a.

While in the foregoing illustrations, I have set forth certain embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious that the invention can be practiced in widely differing embodiments; and it is obvious that changes and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in View of the prior art.

I claim:

l. A casting box adapted for use with a linecasting machine, comprising: a rear casing member having at its bottom a forwardly extending platform, said member being equipped with means for locking said member to the machine, and a slotted front cover having edges adapted to engage the edges ci a paper matrix placed against said rear casing member to form a chamber adjacent the matrix, said cover being equipped with means for engaging said machine to hold the cover against said platform.

2. A casting box adapted for use with a linecasting machine, comprising: a rear casing member having at its bottom a forwardly extending platform, said member being equipped with means for locking said member to the machine, and a slotted front cover resting on said platform and spaced from said rear casing member, said cover being adapted to slide along said platform to vary the spacing between said cover and said rear casing member.

ARTHUR C. McGRATI-I. 

